Ejector for disconnecting tool shafts from motor driven power unit



March 14, 1961 c. L. SMADER 2,974,935

EJECTOR FOR DISCONNECTING TOOL SHAFTS FROM MOTOR DRIVEN POWER UNIT FiledMarch 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g INVENTOR. It CHARLES L. 8/14/4051? A7' TORNE Y March 1961 c. L. SMADER 2,974,935

EJECTOR FOR DISCONNECTING TOOL SHAFTS FROM MOTOR DRIVEN POWER UNIT FiledMarch 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H O I: ll 54 48 46 35 &9\ 2a 43 4| 45 I"T 56 23 40 36'- :i i: "*56 47 2935 33) I4 H II 44 l i 30 3| 3| 27 l 34l9 Hg. 3.

INVENTOR. CHARLES L. SMADEI? Y 5 K. B %ORNW United States Patent2,974,935 EJECTOR FOR DISCONNECTING TOOL SHAFTS FROM MOTOR DRIVEN POWERUNIT Charles L. Smader, Racine, Wis., assignor to Scovill ManufacturingCompany, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Mar. 20,1959, Ser. No. 800,764

3 Claims. (Cl. 259-1) This invention relates to ejector mechanism fordisconnecting tool shafts from motor driven power units, andmore-particularly to ejector means for disconnecting and removing thebeater shafts from the power units of motor driven food mixers withoutrequiring the operator to touch the beater shafts or beater elementsthereon.

Food mixers usually comprise an encased motor, attached gear unit andbeater shafts rotatably mounted in the gear unit. To remove the beatershafts and heaters from the mixer for cleansing purposes withouthandling the beater shafts, I have provided improved ejector mechanismmounted in the gear unit of the mixer by which the beater shafts can bedisconnected and ejected from the drive spindles quickly and easily.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide ejector mechanism forthe purpose described which is manually actuated by a knob depressiblymounted in the top wall of the gear unit adjacent the forward portion ofthe handle, for easy depression by the thumb of the operator whileholding the mixer by the handle. The knob is rigidly connected to a pushbar which bears on an ejector lever pivotally mounted to exert downwardpressure on an ejector member when the knob is depressed. The form andconstruction of the ejector mechanism are such that the several partsare interfitting and can be operatively assembled in the gear unit intoa simple efficient arrangement without any fastening means other than asingle bolt wfu'ch passes through the ejector member body and yieldinglyconnects it to a fixed part of the mixer structure.

An advantage of the structure is that all parts of the ejector mechanismexcept the actuating'knob are concealed within the gear casing. Otherobjects and advantages will be apparent from the following descriptionand the drawings.

-In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of. the forward portionof a food mixer motor and gear unit, partly in elevation, showing theejector mechanismin normal position. v

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view in the plane of the line22 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 3 is a view-similar to Fig. 1 showing the ejector mechanism asitappears when the actuating knob has been depressed and the beater shaftsdisconnected from the drive spindles.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the actuating knob and push bar to whichit is attached, detached from the rest I of the mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the ejector lever, detached.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the ejector member, detached.

Fig.7 is an elevational view showing a modification of the ejectormember shown detached in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of a modified construction of ejector member andpart of the mixer housing, and Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view inthe of Fig. 8.

11 encloses a motor 12 which has a shaft 13 mounted in a motor diecasting 14. The latter extends forwardly as indicated at 15 into thegear housing 16 connected to the forward end of the motor housing 10. Inthe upper,

end of the housing between the handle and gear housing is a motor speedcontrol switch 17 actuated by a disc 18 which need not be described indetail because the switch assembly is not an element of this invention.

Beater shafts 19 have fixed thereon ejector rings 20 and' above therings 20 are nibs 21 which engage the slots 22 in the drive spindles 23.The beater shafts 19 are detachably and drivingly mounted in the drivespindles 23' by spring rings 24 which releasably retain the nibs 21 inthe slots 22. The drive spindles 23 are driven by the motor shaft 13,and worm 25 meshes with worm gears 26, 26 fixed on the spindles 23.

The ejector mechanism whereby the shafts 19 are disconnected from thedrive spindles 23 now willbe described. An ejector member 27 comprises avertically bored central body 28 having a flat top beveled on itsforward edge 29. Horizontally extending arms 30 are apertured at 31 toreceive the beater shafts 19 which extend loosely therethrough. Theejector member 27 resembles, in some respects, the ejector shown in U.S.Patent No. 2,797,901, owned by the assignee of this invention andapplication, in which the horizontal oppositely extending arms havetheir lower surfaces in differbefore the other ejector arm bears on theejector ring of the other beater shaft. It is to be understood, however,that although I have shown the ejector arms 30 herein as having theirlower surfaces in different horizontal planes, they may be disposed inthe same plane and may simultaneously move into bearing contact withejector rings 20 on the shafts 19.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the ejector member 27 has its central bodyportion 28 located between the drive spindles 23 and is mounted in theopen bottom portion of the motor housing 10 by a bolt 32 which extendsupwardly through the central bore in the body 28 into the casting 15. Aspring 33 surrounds the bolt 32, bearing at its lower end against thehead 34 of the bolt and at its upper end against the shoulder 35 in thebody 28 of the ejector member, thus normally holding the said member inthe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Reinforcing ribs 36 may be provided on the ejector member 28.

An ejector lever 40, shown detached in Fig. 5, has a flat centralportion 41 apertured at 42, provided withside ribs 43. Rearwardly thecentral portion 41 merges with a slightly downturned portion 44terminating in a curved end 45 whereby the lever is pivotally mounted ina complementally formed recess 46 in the under side of the motor casting15. Forwardly of the central portion 41, the lever is provided with anupwardly inclined portion 47 terminating in an upturned end 48. The bolt32 extends through the aperture 42 which is elongated longitudinally ofthe lever to permit pivotal movement of the lever 40 about the curvedend 45 is will be explained hereinafter. As shown in Fig. 2, the casting15 is shaped to accommodate the flat portion 41 and ribs 42 of the lever40, with the flat portion 41 resting on the top of the ejector body 28.

Pivotal movement is imparted to the lever 40 by the push bar 50 showndetached in Fig. 4. It comprisesja plane of the line 9-9 verticallydisposed major portion 51 merging at its upper end with an upwardly andrearwardly inclined bar portion 52, both provided with rearwardlydirectedlongitudinally extending ribs 53 which serve as runners beatingagainst the race of the casting 15 when the parts .54 parallel to themajor body 51 of the push bar 50.

At its lower end the pushbar is provided withspaced apart legs 56, themetal of the bar between said legs being bent rearwardly to form atongue 57.

The ejector member 27 is mounted in the lower forward part of the mixerhousing as shown in Fig. 1, by means of the bolt 32 and spring 33thereon, but before the bolt 32 is screwed into the casting 15, theejector lever 40 is positioned on the upper surface of the ejector body28, with the bolt 32 extending through the aperture 42 of the lever, andthe curved end 45 is pivotally seated in the recess 46 in the casting15. The push bar 50 is inserted through an opening 58 in the top wall ofthe gear casing shaped to fit the knob 55. The lower end of the push bar50 engages the front face of the casting 15, the legs 56 straddling theportion 47 of the lever 40 and the rearwardly directed tongue 57contacting the lower surface of the casting 15 as shown in Fig. 1. Thisis the normal position of the ejector parts when the beater shafts 19are in operative position in their drive spindles 23.

When it is desired to disconnect the shafts 19 and eject them from themixer, the knob 55 is depressed as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the push bar50 is moved downwardly in a vertical direction to depress the forwardend of the lever 40. At the beginning of the pivotal movement of thelever 40 about the pivotal mounting 45, 46, the bearing pressure of thelever is directed against the rearward top surface of the ejector body28. As the pivotal downward movement of the lever 40 progresses, thebearing pressure of the lever portion 41 against the ejector body isexerted progressively in a forward direction until finally it isdirected against the beveled area 29 on the ejector body 28. This actionof the lever 40 results in moving the ejector member downwardly to bringthe arms 30 into contact with the ejector rings 20 on shafts 19 todisconnect and eject the beater shafts, the leverage being appliedefliciently by the gradual forwardly progressing bearing contact of thelever portion 41 on the ejector body 28. When the push bar 50 has beenmoved downwardly completely and pressure on the knob 55 released, thespring 33 on bolt 32 returns the ejector member 27 to its normalposition as shown in Fig. 1.

Changes may be made in details of construction and form of parts asherein shown and described without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

For example, the ejector member 27 may be provided with a forwardlydirected guiding rib 60 and a rear- .wardly directed guiding rib 61 asshown in Figs. 8 and 9. The ribs extend at their lower portions throughslots 63 and 62, respectively, in the lower wall of the mixer housing10, and thus prevent any twisting motion of the ,ejector 27. Theapertured arms 30, 30, of the ejector member 27 are provided with lugs64, 65, which bear on the ejector rings 20 on beater shafts 19 when theejector member is depressed, as previously explained. The lugs .64, 65may be of the same or different depths, to function ,either like theejector shown in Fig. 6 where the lower surfaces of the arms 30 are indifferent horizontal planes, or like the ejector shown in Fig. 7 wherethe lower surfaces of the arms 30 are in the same horizontal plane. Ineither arrangement. the ejector member 27 is supported atits upper endby the bolt 32 and is guided to slide vertically by the guiding ribs 60,61in the housing slots 63, 62. These and other changes may be madewithout departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims.i

I claim:

1.,In a motor driven .power unit having a housing provided with a handleand a top wall slotted forwardly of the handle, a bottom wall having anopening therein, a motor frame member between the top and bottom walls,a pair of drive spindles and a tool shaft detachably connected to eachof said drive spindles, ejector mechanism comprising an ejectingprojection fixed on each tool shaft, an ejector member located abovesaid bottom wall opening in direct alignment with the opening and havingits lower end always in the opening, and having means for bearing onsaid ejecting projections, means yieldingly mounting the ejector memberin the housing between said drive spindles, a lever having a generallyhorizontal hearing portion between its ends bearing on top of theejector member between said drive spindles, said drive spindles beinglocated in the housing adjacent the ejector member and beneath thelever, said lever having a free end, its opposite end engaging the motorframe member to pivot about a horizontal axis when the free end isdepressed, a vertically disposed push bar in the housing, and a knobfixed to the upper end of the push bar projecting above the housingthrough the slotted top wall, the lower end of the push bar bearing onthe free end of the lever, depression of the knob and push bar producingpivotal movement of said lever and downward pressure of said bearingportion of the lever on top of the ejector member to move said memberthrough said bottom wall opening into contact with the ejectingprojections on said tool shafts.

2. A motor driven food mixer comprising a motor housing, a gear casingprovided with a slotted top wall and a bottom wall having an openingtherein connected to the forward end of the motor housing, a motor framemember projecting into the gear casing between the top and bottom walls,a pair of drive spindles, a tool shaft detachably connected to each ofsaid drive spindles, ejector mechanism comprising an ejecting projectionfixed on each tool shaft, an ejector member located above said bottomwall opening in direct alignment with the opening and having its lowerend always in the opening, and having means thereon for hearing on saidejecting projections, a lever having a generally horizontal slottedbearing portion between its ends bearing on top of the ejector member,said drive spindles being located in the gear casing adjacent theejector member and beneath the lever, said lever having a free end, itsopposite end engaging'the motor frame member to pivot about a horizontalaxis when the free end is depressed, a headed bolt extending upwardlythrough the ejector member and the slotted portion of the lever and intothe motor flame member, a spring surrounding the bolt between its headand the ejector member, a vertically disposed push bar in the casing,and a knob fixed to the upper end of the push bar projecting above thegear casing through the slotted top wall, the lower end .of the push barbearing on the free end of the lever, depression of the knob and pushbar producting a pivotal movement of said lever and downward pressure ofsaid bearing portion of the lever on top of the ejector member to movesaid member throughsaid bottom wall opening into contact with theejecting projections on said tool shafts.

3. The mechanism defined by claim 2, in which the ejector member isprovided with vertically extending ribs and the edges of the bottom wallof the gear casing surrounding said bottom wall opening have slots whichengage said ribs to keep the ejector member from twisting as the ejectormember is depressed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES Service Bulletin, Sunbeam Corp., No. 192-3, Dec. 18, 1957,Hand Mixmaster, Model HM.

